Thu, Dec 15, 2011
NTSB Factual Report Released In August Non-Fatal Forced
Landing
Sometimes it's the little things which can cause the biggest
problems. The NTSB has released a factual report from a forced
landing in Kodiak, AK, in August, and the board is focusing on a
missing lock nut on the throttle linkage to the Piper Saratoga's
engine.
According to the report, the pilot and the operator's director
of maintenance (DOM), were on a postmaintenance check flight.
According to the pilot's written statement, while approaching to
land, the throttle control became inoperative, resulting in a
partial loss of engine power. The pilot selected a tidal beach as a
forced landing site, but was unable to reach it, and landed in
shallow water short of the site.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and
fuselage. In a written statement to the NTSB, the DOM reported that
while troubleshooting a recurring complaint of low engine manifold
pressure, he noticed that the castellated nut, which connects the
throttle linkage to the fuel control servo, was loose. He said he
removed the cotter pin, tightened the nut, and reinstalled the
cotter pin.
A postaccident engine examination revealed that a self-locking
nut was missing from the throttle linkage arm, resulting in the
disconnection of the throttle cable. The DOM said that the missing
locknut was not the same one that he removed, tightened and
reinstalled, but was a nut on the other end of the throttle linkage
arm, about 2 inches from the castellated nut that he tightened. The
DOM noted that he should have checked the security of the hexagon
self-locking nut, but he did not. The hexagon self-locking nut was
not recovered.
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